Greeley man arrested for threatening bouncer with look-alike gun

A Greeley man was arrested this weekend on allegations that he threatened a restaurant security guard with a look-alike gun.

Shortly after midnight Sunday, Jorge Santillano-Orona, 35, pulled what appeared to be a gun on a bouncer at the El Latino located in the 2200 block of 9th Street. Police responded and ordered Santillano-Orona to drop the weapon, which he did. That was as far as the suspect was willing to cooperate with officers, said Greeley Police Chief Jerry Garner.

After a brief struggle with officers, Santillano-Orona was placed into custody. It was after Santillano-Orona was in handcuffs that officers realized the weapon was actually an Airsoft revolver.

Airsoft guns typically feature bright orange paint at the end of the barrel to distinguish them from real weapons. It's not uncommon for people to spray paint over or remove the orange coloring from an Airsoft gun to make it look more realistic, Garner said.

Garner referenced a similar incident over the weekend in which Cleveland police shot and killed a 12-year-old boy at a playground. In that incident, officers received a call about 3:30 p.m. Saturday of a child waiving and pointing a gun at people at a local recreation center. The boy was shot by officers when he reached into his waistband to grab his Airsoft gun.

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"We very nearly could have had a similar outcome in Greeley," Garner said. "It was a very realistic looking Airsoft gun."

Santillano-Orona was arrested on suspicion of assault and disorderly conduct. He is out of jail on bond, according to Weld County jail arrest records.